U.S. patent number 5,577,102 [Application Number 08/351,430] was granted by the patent office on 1996-11-19 for method and arrangement for processing short messages in a cellular network.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Nokia Telecommunications Oy. Invention is credited to Seppo Koivunen.
United States Patent |
5,577,102 |
Koivunen |
November 19, 1996 |
Method and arrangement for processing short messages in a cellular
network
Abstract
A method and arrangement for processing short messages in a
mobile services switching centre (GMSC) of a cellular radio
network. The method comprises the following steps: an A-subscriber
(AMS) sends a short message provided with the routing address of a
B-subscriber (BMS); the routing address contained in the short
message is checked in the mobile services switching centre (GMSC);
and when the routing address is that of the B-subscriber (BMS), the
mobile services switching centre (GMSC) request the routing
information of the B-subscriber (BMS) from the home location
register (HLR); if the B-subscriber can be reached, the home
location register (HLR) sends the routing information to the
requesting mobile services switching centre (GMSC); and the mobile
services switching centre (GMSC) routes the short message to the
B-subscriber (BMS) on the basis of the routing information
received.
Inventors: |
Koivunen; Seppo (Hyvinkaa,
FI) |
Assignee: |
Nokia Telecommunications Oy
(Espoo, FI)
|
Family
ID: |
8535474 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/351,430 |
Filed: |
January 20, 1995 |
PCT
Filed: |
June 01, 1993 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/FI93/00235 |
371
Date: |
January 20, 1995 |
102(e)
Date: |
January 20, 1995 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO93/26131 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
December 23, 1993 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/433;
455/466 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W
4/14 (20130101); H04W 8/12 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04Q
7/22 (20060101); H04Q 7/38 (20060101); H04Q
007/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;379/58,59,63,201,207
;455/33.1,53.1,54.1 |
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
684746 |
|
Nov 1995 |
|
EP |
|
92/14330 |
|
Aug 1992 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
Recommendation GSM 03.40, "Technical Realization of the Short
Message Service--Point-to-Point", version 3.5.0, European
Telecommunications Standards Institute, ETSI/PT 12, Feb. 1992,
paragraphs 3.1 (pp. 10-11); 3.2.6 (pp. 13-14); 3.2.8 (p. 15); 4.1
(pp. 18-19); 5.2 (p. 20), 6-8 (pp. 20-25) and 10 (pp. 53-74). .
Recommendation GSM 09.02, "Mobile Application Part Specification",
version 3.8.0, European Telecommunications Standards Institute,
ETSI, Jan. 1991; pp. 324-367. .
IEE Colloquium on "GSM and PCN Enhanced Mobile Services", IEE,
London, UK, 1991 (Conference date 30 Jan. 1991); pp. 7/1-7/5. .
"Distributed Architechture for Applications based on the GSM Short
Message Service", CSELT, G. Martini et al., pp. 140-145 1995. .
"The Short Message Service--A New Service of Digital Mobile
Communication", including English Translation, M. Heintz et al.,
pp. 517-526. Sep. 1993..
|
Primary Examiner: Kuntz; Curtis
Assistant Examiner: Trost; William G.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Cushman Darby & Cushman,
L.L.P.
Claims
I claim:
1. A method for transferring a short message from an A-subscriber
to a B-subscriber in a cellular network that has a mobile services
switching centre and a home location register, comprising:
(a) storing and updating in said home location register information
as to whether said B-subscriber is reachable by said mobile
services switching centre, and, if so, storing in said home
location register routing information for said B-subscriber;
(b) sending, by an A-subscriber, a short message containing a
routing address of a B-subscriber, to the mobile services switching
centre;
(c) checking, by the mobile services switching centre of said
routing address, whether said routing address is of said
B-subscriber, and, if so, requesting by the mobile services
switching centre from the home location register, of routing
information for said B-subscriber;
(d) if said B-subscriber is reachable by said mobile services
switching centre according to said information stored in said home
location register, sending in response to said requesting, routing
information for said B-subscriber by said home location register to
said mobile services switching centre; and
(e) based on receipt of said routing information by said mobile
services switching centre, routing, by said mobile services
switching centre, of said short message to said B-subscriber.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said mobile services switching
centre includes a short message storer, said method further
comprising:
storing said short message A-subscriber specifically in said short
message storer.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
after step (c), if said B-subscriber is not reachable by said
mobile services switching centre according to said information
stored in said home location register, said home location register
announcing such unreachability to said mobile services switching
centre; and
setting said home location register to initiate step (d) upon
storage in said home location register as a result of conducting
the updating of step (a).
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
(f) sending, by said mobile services switching centre, to said
A-subscriber, an acknowledgement of reception by said B-subscriber
of said short message as a result of said routing conducted in step
(e).
5. The method of claim 2, wherein:
if performance of step (e) is inhibited due to the unreachability
of the B-subscriber, repeating step (e) using said message as
stored in said message storer.
6. An arrangement for transferring an address-containing short
message from an A-subscriber to a B-subscriber in a cellular
network, comprising:
a home location register; and
a mobile services switching centre, including:
an address processor for checking the address contained in a short
message sent by the A-subscriber to said mobile services switching
centre;
a message storer for storing said short message;
a communicator communicating with said home location register for
requesting routing information from said home location register for
a B-subscriber having said address;
a short message transmitter for transmitting said short message to
said B-subscriber; and
a transmission controller for instructing said message storer to
store said short message, for instructing said communicator to
request routing information for said B-subscriber from said home
location register, for forwarding said routing information as
received from said home location register by said communicator, for
transmitting said short message from said message storer to said
short message transmitter, and for sending an acknowledgement to
the A-subscriber that said short message has been transmitted to
said B-subscriber.
7. The arrangement of claim 6, wherein:
the communicator is arranged to communicate a routing address for
said A-subscriber to said home location register; and
said home location register includes a subscriber-specific list
containing both a routing address for said mobile services
switching centre and said routing address for said
A-subscriber.
8. The arrangement of claim 6, wherein:
said message storer is arranged to store said short message
A-subscriber-specifically.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and arrangement for processing
short messages in a mobile services switching centre of a cellular
network.
The invention operates in a cellular network that contains a mobile
services switching centre. The network comprises a home location
register for permanent storing of location and subscriber data on
radio telephones registered in the network. The geographical area
covered by the network is divided into smaller mobile services
switching centre areas (MSC area), each of which comprises a
visitor location register for temporary storing of subscriber data
on radio telephones visiting the MSC area and a mobile services
switching centre interconnected with the visitor location register.
Each MSC area is further divided into location areas, which are
divided into cells. Each cell comprises at least one base
transceiver station that is capable of establishing a radio link
with the active radio telephones located in the cell.
In different cellular radio systems or radio telephone systems
currently used or planned, the geographical area covered by the
system is divided into separate smaller radio areas or cells in
such a way that when a radio telephone or mobile phone is in the
cell, it communicates with a fixed network via a base transceiver
station located in the cell. The mobile phones of the system may
freely roam from one cell to another within the system. One of
these systems is the digital mobile phone system GSM (Global System
for Mobiles).
In cellular radio networks, it is known to transmit short messages
to a short message service centre that is separate from a cellular
radio network. Recommendation GSM 03.40, ETSI/PT, February 1992
includes a description of such a system transmitting short
messages. It describes interconnection of a short message service
centre with a mobile services switching centre of a cellular radio
network and operation of this short message service centre as it
transmits short messages from outside the cellular radio network
and from one subscriber (A-subscriber) of the cellular radio
network to another subscriber (B-subscriber) of the network, or to
a communicating means outside the network capable of receiving
and/or transmitting short messages. Recommendation GSM 04.11,
ETSI/PT 12, February 1992 provides a more detailed description of
transmission of short messages on a radio path between GSM terminal
equipment, a mobile services switching centre and a short message
service centre.
The above described art solutions and their practical applications
have focused on communication by means of short messages between
the subscribers of a cellular radio system and the communicating
means outside the system capable of receiving and/or transmitting
short messages. Known solutions of this kind have thus granted that
a separate short message service centre which requires space and
financial resources, must be connected to the system, although the
centre requires new arrangements separate from those required by a
cellular radio network to control it and render it compatible with
the network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to simplify transmission of
short messages from an A-subscriber of a cellular radio system to a
B-subscriber in a fast and inexpensive manner and without
additional equipment.
According to the invention this new kind of method for processing
short messages in a cellular radio network is characterised by the
following steps: an A-subscriber sends a short message provided
with the routing address of a B-subscriber; the routing address
contained in the short message is checked in the mobile services
switching centre; and when the address is that of the B-subscriber,
the short message is stored A-subscriber-specifically in the short
message storing means of the mobile services switching centre, the
mobile services switching centre requests the routing information
of the B-subscriber from the home location register, and if the
B-subscriber can be reached, the home location register sends the
routing information to the requesting mobile services switching
centre, and the mobile services switching centre routes the short
message to the B-subscriber on the basis of the routing information
received.
The new kind of arrangement according to the invention for
processing short messages in a cellular radio network is
characterised by comprising an address processing means for
checking the address contained in the short message; a storing
means for storing the short message in a mobile services switching
centre; a communicating means communicating with a home location
register HLR and requesting routing information from the HLR; a
short message transmitting means for transmitting short messages
from a mobile services switching centre to a B-subscriber; a means
for controlling transmission of short messages to instruct the
storing means to store short messages, to instruct the
communicating means to request the routing information of the
B-subscriber from the HLR, to forward the routing information of
the B-subscriber received from the HLR from the communicating
means, and to transmit the short message from the storing means to
the short message transmitting means in response to the short
message sent by the A-subscriber and provided with the address of
the B-subscriber, and to send an acknowledgement to the
A-subscriber.
In practicing the invention, all the measures needed for
transmission of short messages are taken into a mobile services
switching centre. This allows fast and inexpensive transmission of
short messages from an A-subscriber of a cellular radio network to
a B-subscriber.
The advantage of this kind of method and arrangement for processing
short messages in a cellular radio network is that no separate
short message service centre SC is needed for transmission of short
messages from an A-subscriber of a cellular radio network to a
B-subscriber. A separate SC is expensive and inconvenient since it
requires its own control system and an interconnection as defined
in GSM 03.40 with a mobile services switching centre. A separate SC
also requires separate maintenance and space on the premises of a
teleoperator. Particularly in telecommunication networks where
there is no need to transmit short messages between a mobile phone
system and other message transmitting services, a separate SC is
not needed but transmission of short messages in a mobile phone
network can be carried out in accordance with the present
invention.
In addition, the prior art arrangement for transmitting short
messages has not allowed the B-subscriber to send an
acknowledgement to the A-subscriber to show that it has received
the short message transmitted. The system of the invention,
however, offers a multiple choice of functions of acknowledgement.
For example, in the system of the invention it is possible to send
an acknowledgement to the A-subscriber to show whether the
B-subscriber has received the short message or whether the short
message is, e.g., temporarily stored for re-transmission. The
acknowledgement may be a conventional acknowledgement according to
GSM 03.40, or a short message.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
In the following the invention is described in greater detail with
reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a cellular radio system to which
the method and system according to the invention can be
applied,
FIG. 2 shows the transmitting parts of a mobile services switching
centre according to the invention that is capable of independently
transmitting short messages,
FIG. 3 shows the frame structure of a short message according to
the invention,
FIG. 4 shows a message waiting data list according to the invention
in the HLR.
In the following, the method of the invention will be described in
relation to the GSM, which is in fact where the invention is
primarily applied. However, the method of the invention can be
applied to other similar radio systems or modifications of the GSM.
The basic structure and functions of the GSM are well known to
those skilled in the art and they are defined relatively accurately
in the specifications of the GSM, particularly in GSM
recommendations 01.02, 11.30, 11.31, 11.32 and 03.40. Some of the
basic concepts of the GSM and elements relevant to the invention
are defined below, with reference to FIG. 1. An area in which GSM
services are available is called a GSM network (GSM service area)
and it may cover several countries. A GSM network may divide into
national GSM networks (PLMN service area), each of which is an area
covered by one operator providing GSM services. Several GSM
networks may exist in one country, and the geographical areas
covered by them may overlap. In the following, the term "mobile
phone system" refers primarily to such a national mobile phone
system, and the system may be connected to other national mobile
phone systems or other communication systems, such as a public
telephone network.
A national GSM network may comprise one or more MSC areas, which
are areas in which services are provided by one mobile services
switching centre. An MSC area of the GSM may in turn divide into
one or more location areas, which are areas covered by a plurality
of cells. A cell is the smallest geographical area in the system.
It comprises one or more base transceiver stations and employs
defined communication channels.
A national GSM network generally comprises one home location
register HLR, which is a database in which the data of a mobile
phone, e.g. location data, are permanently stored. The system
further comprises several visitor location registers VLR, one or
more per each MSC area. A VLR is a database in which the data of a
mobile phone are stored when the mobile phone is visiting the area
of the VLR. A VLR can locate a mobile phone MS with an accuracy of
one location area. An HLR, on the other hand, has information
indicating the VLR the area of which the MS is visiting, and it
gives the routing information for the calls to the MS to the
telephone network. The HLR receives the necessary routing
information from the VLR. The HLR and VLR have only a signalling
connection with the other components of the mobile phone
network.
For purposes of simplicity, the method of the invention is
described as applied to the system of FIG. 1, in which each MSC
area has its own VLR interconnected with the mobile services
switching centre MSC of the MSC area in question.
The solution of FIG. 1, which is typical of the invention,
illustrates two MSC areas, one of which includes a mobile services
switching centre MSC1 and a visitor location register VLR1, while
the other includes a mobile services switching centre MSC2 and a
visitor location register VLR2. Each MSC area divides into one or
more location areas, and in each location area traffic is
controlled by a base station controller BSC, which controls several
base transceiver stations BTS. Each cell mentioned above comprises
one BTS, and one BSC serves several cells. A mobile station MS in a
cell has a bidirectional radio link with the BTS of the cell in
question. Between the BSC and the MSC there are both a signalling
connection and voice channels.
In FIG. 1, the MSC1 controls the base station controller BSC1,
which in turn controls the base transceiver stations BTS1 and BTS2.
Correspondingly, in another MSC area the MSC2 controls a location
area which contains the BSC2 and the BTS3 and BTS4.
A GSM network is usually connected to other networks, such as a
Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a Public Land Mobile
Network (PLMN), a Packet Switched Public Data Network (PSPDN) or an
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), via a defined MSC
called a gateway MSC (GMSC). One or more (all) of the MSCs of the
network may operate as the GMSC. It is possible to connect a voice
channel from the GMSC to any other MSC of the network. The GMSC
also has a signalling connection with the HLR. The HLR in turn has
a signalling connection with VLRs. Alternatively, a switching
centre of another communication system, e.g. an ISDN centre, may
operate as the GMSC.
FIG. 1 further describes a B-subscriber mobile station BMS to which
an A-subscriber AMS is attempting to send a short message.
FIG. 2 shows the transmitting parts of a mobile services switching
centre GMSC of the invention that is capable of independently
transmitting short messages. An A-subscriber AMS of the network
sends a short message, which has a structure as shown in detail in
FIG. 3, to the GMSC. This short message is defined in GSM 04.11,
point 7.3.1. The short message comprises an RP message type
indicator field (MT), an RP priority indicator field (PI), an RP
message reference field (MR), an RP originator address field (OA),
an RP destination address field (DA), which in the prior art
solution contained the SC address described in GSM 04.11, point
8.2.5.2. In the present solution, the DA of the RP-DA field is the
address of the B-subscriber, by which the message is routed to the
B-subscriber. The short message also comprises an RP-user data
field (DATA). FIG. 2 further shows a means 1 in an MSC for
transmitting a short message from a mobile phone, the means being
described in GSM 03.40, paragraph 9. In the prior art solution, the
means reads the address of the SC from the RP-DA field of the short
message and transmits the short message to the SC for forwarding.
In the solution of the invention, the A-subscriber AMS sets the
address of the B-subscriber in the RP-DA field, and the means 1 for
transmitting a short message originated in an MS reads it and sends
the short message to an address processing means 2, which reads the
DA of the RP-DA field to detect where the short message is to be
transmitted. If the RP-DA field contains the address of the SC, the
short message is sent there; and if the RP-DA field contains the
address of the B-subscriber, the short message is sent to a means 3
for controlling transmission of short messages, for further
transmission to the B-subscriber BMS. Possible connection of an SC
to a cellular radio network is described in GSM 03.40, Appendix 1,
ETSI. The means 3 for controlling transmission of short messages
instructs a means 4 communicating with the HLR, the standard
functions of this communicating means being described in GSM 09.02,
point 5.13.1.2.1., to request the routing information of the
B-subscriber BMS from the HLR of the B-subscriber by means of a
send routing information for short message service routine. If the
HLR contains the information on the location of the B-subscriber,
the routing information is transmitted to the communicating means
4, which forwards them to the means 3 for controlling transmission
of short messages. The controlling means 3 instructs a short
message transmitting means 6 to send the short message, in the
manner described in GSM 09.02, point 5.13.2.2.1, to the VMSC the
MSC area of which the B-subscriber is visiting the into which VMSC
the VLR is typically integrated. If the B-subscriber cannot be
reached, the HLR announces this to the means 4 communicating with
the HLR. The communicating means forwards the information to the
means 3 for controlling transmission of short messages, which
instructs a storing means 5 in an MSC to store the short message
until the B-subscriber can again be reached and the short message
can be transmitted to it.
In the prior art solution, if the B-subscriber cannot be reached, a
message waiting data list according to GSM 03.40 is formed to the
HLR. In the list are stored, B-subscriber-specifically, the
addresses of the short message service centres SC in which short
messages are stored for transmission to the B-subscriber. In the
solution of the invention, the list of waiting messages has been
modified to contain the address of the GMSC (GMSC addr) in which
the short messages sent to the B-subscriber are stored, and the
international mobile subscriber number (IMSI1, IMSI2) of the
A-subscriber. FIG. 4 shows the message waiting data list according
to the invention in the HLR. As the B-subscriber re-registers in
the area of the VMSC, the VLR of the VMSC sends a message to the
HLR of the B-subscriber stating that the B-subscriber can again be
reached. After receiving this message, the HLR sends an alert to
the GMSC of the A-subscriber stating that the B-subscriber is again
reachable. In the solution obtained by practicing the present
invention, the HLR adds the IMSI of the A-subscriber and the mobile
station international PSTM/ISDN number (MSISDN) of the B-subscriber
from its message waiting data list to the alert so that the GMSC
can identify the subscriber that has become within reach and the
subscriber that has called. Having reached the alert, the means 4
communicating with the HLR of the GMSC forwards the alert to the
means 3 for controlling transmission of short messages. The
controlling means initiates transmission of the short message to
the B-subscriber via the VMSC of the location area of the
B-subscriber.
The drawings and the description thereof are be to understood only
as illustrating the idea of the invention. The method and
arrangement of the invention for processing short messages in a
cellular radio network may vary in details within the scope of the
claims. Although the invention is described above mainly in the
GSM, the method and arrangement for processing short messages in a
cellular radio network can also be used in other kinds of radio
systems.
* * * * *